the audience applauded

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Mad ramblings from Takashi Miike. It begins with a shoot out in Brazil, moves to a prison escape and then to the attempt of our young lovers to escape the city and get home. With an odd sense of disjointed place and a style that resembles a comic book collection in a blender this is a movie that could have only been made by Miike and have it work. Funny, touching, violent hip and cool in a very real way (the sort of hip that most filmmakers can only copy badly) this is a unique ride (well its par for the course for Miike). I find it hard to really explain the film because there is the desire to explain the gags and jokes and clever lines that go with each bit, and that would be telling. Is it a great film? No. But its a fun film (if you're up for it). Come on what other movie do you know where stop motion chickens have a kung fu style cock fight? (Okay so maybe the bits are better than the whole, but its still a great deal of fun)

What can I say... Takashi Miike is one whose movies I enjoy more and more these days and The City Of Lost Souls isn't an exception. The piece itself is about a Brazilian protagonist and his girlfriend, trying their best to cross the border from Japan to Taiwan. They stumble upon trouble on the way, interfering with Yakuza's business and the outcome becomes a quite fast-paced roller-coaster action with violence, punchlines, and, I must add that there's also a great load of comedy here.Anyone expecting hardcore violence throughout the entire piece may get disappointed. If you got some distance though and are open for hybrid stuff then this piece won't disappoint you. It awesome and funny, with a great mixture between the raw and cold violent scenes and the funny, surprising scenes of comedy. The language mix between Brazilian Portugese, Mandarin and Japanese is just a great additional bonus.

I have been a big fan of Takashi Miike since "Ichi the Killer" and was further solidified by "Audition", so obviously I needed to hunt down every Miike film out there. This movie sounded had an interesting premise (similar to "True Romance"), so figuring it would be Miike-ized, I rented it. After watching it, I didn't feel the same exhilaration that I did out of other Miike films. Apart from an exciting helicopter escape, an interesting cock-fight, and a cool would-be ping pong game, it really didn't hold my attention for long. Teah, who plays the protagonist Mario, makes Keanu Reeves look like a Shakesperean actor, and I could've cared less what happened to him. On the other hand, Michelle Reis did show good potential, but was largely wasted in this film. With the exception of the guy who played the Yakuza upstart, most of the characters are forgettable. Yes, it has the typical Miike weird ending, but it doesn't' strike you as anything special, unlike the endings of "Dead or Alive" or (better yet)"Audition". If you are getting into Miike, stay away from this one.

The beginning of this film was pretty good. You got to see this guys nice ass and this tells you this is going to be a interesting movie.Then - ZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzz - boring. Until we meet this Asian gentleman who seems to be in love with this girl Kei. The Asian man is beautiful and he never smiles during the entire film. But he has that kind of porcelain doll look.Then a lot of stupid stuff in the middle.Then the ending - the two killers kiss at the end (which I figured out in the middle of the film - no one can be together in that much violence and not turn to each other for comfort). Finally it's over.What did you think. Send me a email....